LEGO Elves 2018

[Velouria]

Yes, noticed that at my local LEGO store too. No fantasy theme- ah well. I'm still sore over the end of LOTR, so I guess it's back into the dark ages for me unless they come up with something really AMAZING.

[Euphorine]

3 hours ago, DangAndBlast said:

I'd say the local LEGO store removing all sets on August 1 and removing the shelf header, and telling people they can order the last wave's sets online while they last, does suggest that Elves is done. I mean, I'd be thrilled if it remained, but I see nothing but its demise.

It is normal for the LEGO store to make space in the store. There are more and more licenses each year in August.

Edited August 10, 2018 by Euphorine

[Digger of Bricks]

By the way, have any of you here seen this guy's display yet? 

 

[x105Black]

I believe that LEGO thinks that all of the fantasy fans will be heading to Harry Potter for their fix.  It's a nice theme with nice minifigures and bricks, and it appeals to both genders, so I can understand the position.  I have been wanting a fantasy theme that sits between Elves and Nexo Knights on the gender spectrum for a while now, so that's actually quite exciting in some ways, but ultimately I would personally prefer to see something different and less tied to a license.  Having said that, I am warming up to the fleshie minifigures.

Hopefully I am wrong, and something better will come from the nebulous void left by the feminine Elves and masculine Nexo Knights.

In the meantime, we can reminisce about our fond feelings for these dead themes, or give them prolonged life through MOCs.

[Velouria]

3 hours ago, Digger of Bricks said:

By the way, have any of you here seen this guy's display yet? 

 

So nice! I must do something like that for myself some time!

[STARHAWK]

On 8/5/2018 at 4:13 AM, Digger of Bricks said:

Upwards into space, perhaps? 

I hope such theme would die so quickly as the Friends superhero theme - not selling out even at 50% discounts here.

I need one more run for Elves at least. Was not a fan of the animal line, but when i saw the TV series for it, i start to like it. But im still missing a set of the 5 elder sisters an some sets for regular elves live like it was in the episode when Ragana visited the village and after saving it, they started to like her - i need some more regular elves torso+legs and hairs. Yes there are some options to build custom elves with the LOTR hairs and some Friends torsos but they could mase dome generic really elves looking figs.

 

6 hours ago, Digger of Bricks said:

By the way, have any of you here seen this guy's display yet? 

 

Great inspiration. Like the idea of roofs with standard plates turned the other side. Also the boat is great - will have to build such similar boat from spear parts.

[Lyichir]

22 hours ago, Euphorine said:

It is normal for the LEGO store to make space in the store. There are more and more licenses each year in August.

It's not normal for them to do so with sets that only launched the previous month, regardless of how many licensed themes are or aren't launching. The last time I remember such a quick turnaround was with Bionicle in 2016... and unfortunately, that also foreshadowed the theme's end.

I'm all about staying positive (I've been doing so for most of the past two years, and last year it was even rewarded by Elves getting a rare fourth year), but the writing on the wall is pretty clear at this point. And if this is the end, I have to say I am more or less satisfied (despite the unlikelihood of Secrets of Elvendale getting a second season at this point). We're at least getting a conclusion, and a downright epic one that I find more satisfying than the non-conclusion of Exo-Force or the rushed conclusion of Bionicle G2. I'd rather appreciate that, and maybe even plan to continue the story on my own, instead of holding onto the vain hope that all the signs we're seeing don't actually spell the end. And if I turn out to be wrong? Well, I'll be pleasantly surprised in that case, to say the least.

[Digger of Bricks]

4 hours ago, STARHAWK said:

I hope such theme would die so quickly as the Friends superhero theme - not selling out even at 50% discounts here.

Unless I'm misunderstanding you, are you saying that you'd rather not see such a theme? If so, why? 

[Euphorine]

2 hours ago, Lyichir said:

It's not normal for them to do so with sets that only launched the previous month, regardless of how many licensed themes are or aren't launching. The last time I remember such a quick turnaround was with Bionicle in 2016... and unfortunately, that also foreshadowed the theme's end.

I'm all about staying positive (I've been doing so for most of the past two years, and last year it was even rewarded by Elves getting a rare fourth year), but the writing on the wall is pretty clear at this point. And if this is the end, I have to say I am more or less satisfied (despite the unlikelihood of Secrets of Elvendale getting a second season at this point). We're at least getting a conclusion, and a downright epic one that I find more satisfying than the non-conclusion of Exo-Force or the rushed conclusion of Bionicle G2. I'd rather appreciate that, and maybe even plan to continue the story on my own, instead of holding onto the vain hope that all the signs we're seeing don't actually spell the end. And if I turn out to be wrong? Well, I'll be pleasantly surprised in that case, to say the least.

Attention, I never said it was gone, in the stores, just less space.
Personally, in the LEGO stores in France, the Elves are still on the shelves, but their place has been reduced because of Unikitty and Friends's cars, and Harry Potter range.

[Digger of Bricks]

15 hours ago, Velouria said:

So nice! I must do something like that for myself some time!

I didn't know this at the time I shared that here, but apparently its creator (@Stillinamerica) shared the display here on Eurobricks over at this topic:

 

[Kim-Kwang-Seok]

I don't get the debate here. Some see definite evidence for the death of Elves, other's are more patient. But everyone - including the pesimistic ones are paying the theme respect here. If you are angry, go to Lego and beg for some more sets.

[Velouria]

16 hours ago, Kim-Kwang-Seok said:

I don't get the debate here. Some see definite evidence for the death of Elves, other's are more patient. But everyone - including the pesimistic ones are paying the theme respect here. If you are angry, go to Lego and beg for some more sets.

I'm not angry, just grateful for a theme I really love. I hope it will continue, but i realize these things have a shelf life. And I'm always interested to see what Lego will come up with next. But I'm actually a fan of minidolls, and I know not many people are. So I wonder if they will come up with something that will fit me.

[Velouria]

Sorry for the double post- I'm obviously hoping this theme will continue, but I'm also looking back on it, and looking at its strengths and weaknesses. I loved the first season and bought every set. Loved the nature colors, the fantasy builds, the variation, and the characters. Then there was the second season, which was a dragon in every set. I bought some, loved Ragana and her castle, the starlight inn. But too many similar creatures- too many dragons; and that made me less interested.

After that, I had some personal issues, I had to sell my home, and to make it nice and presentable, I packed all my lego away and stopped buying. It was the whole goblin king and his goblins. I thought this was the weakest season. The goblin king was cool (Bowie association yay!) but the goblins were a disappointment, and I hated the sickly green used in their buildings. I did not buy any sets and got the Goblin King character off bricklink because he was in two sets that I really did not like (another dragon! And that sickly green castle).

And then in the most recent lot, it was back to the roots with the elvenstar tree and Lumia and Nocturna. Like these sets a lot, and plan to buy some more.

One major problem I have with the whole range is that sets have the same minidolls with minor changes again and again. I'm not so tempted to buy another set that has an Naida minidoll in it when I already have 3. (you can, IMHO, never have enough Azaris and Farrans though) Also- I tend not to buy sets with Emily or her sister- they are human characters (and the very essence of "Mary-Sue"), and I'm really in this because I like fantasy creatures.

That's my two cents. what do you think?

Edited August 13, 2018 by Velouria

[Lyichir]

19 hours ago, Kim-Kwang-Seok said:

I don't get the debate here. Some see definite evidence for the death of Elves, other's are more patient. But everyone - including the pesimistic ones are paying the theme respect here. If you are angry, go to Lego and beg for some more sets.

I'm not angry, but even if I were, I doubt going to Lego would achieve much. If the theme is done, it's done—Lego already has plenty of sales data indicating whether or not it'd be worth continuing, so I doubt individual fans (especially ones well outside the target age range for the sets) would be able to change their minds.

2 hours ago, Velouria said:

Sorry for the double post- I'm obviously hoping this theme will continue, but I'm also looking back on it, and looking at its strengths and weaknesses. I loved the first season and bought every set. Loved the nature colors, the fantasy builds, the variation, and the characters. Then there was the second season, which was a dragon in every set. I bought some, loved Ragana and her castle, the starlight inn. But too many similar creatures- too many dragons; and that made me less interested.

After that, I had some personal issues, I had to sell my home, and to make it nice and presentable, I packed all my lego away and stopped buying. It was the whole goblin king and his goblins. I thought this was the weakest season. The goblin king was cool (Bowie association yay!) but the goblins were a disappointment, and I hated the sickly green used in their buildings. I did not buy any sets and got the Goblin King character off bricklink because he was in two sets that I really did not like (another dragon! And that sickly green castle).

And then in the most recent lot, it was back to the roots with the elvenstar tree and Lumia and Nocturna. Like these sets a lot, and plan to buy some more.

One major problem I have with the whole range is that sets have the same minidolls with minor changes again and again. I'm not so tempted to buy another set that has an Naida minidoll in it when I already have 3. (you can, IMHO, never have enough Azaris and Farrans though) Also- I tend not to buy sets with Emily or her sister- they are human characters (and the very essence of "Mary-Sue"), and I'm really in this because I like fantasy creatures.

That's my two cents. what do you think?

Personally I appreciated getting the main characters again and again, especially since they rarely appeared in more than two sets per year, and got new costumes every year (as well as new facial expressions in some cases). I do sort of miss the way the first two years varied things up by giving the characters cloaks in the summer wave, though (especially considering Farran disappointingly missed out in both cases).

I also don't share any of your disappointments with the second or third year's sets—I found all of them wonderfully interesting and distinctive and loved their aesthetic choices, including the use of Spring Yellowish Green to differentiate Goblin architecture from the more conventional tans of the architecture we had seen up to that point.

Can't disagree more with your labeling of Emily or Sophie as "Mary Sues". Sophie absolutely doesn't qualify by any definition, with a knack for making mistakes and no powers to speak of whatsoever. As for Emily, even her compassionate, level-headed characterization isn't without faults (being balanced by a lot of persistent self-doubt, a trusting nature that let the Goblin King fool her initially, and a very realistic tendency to be short with her younger sister) and while Emily's ability to unite the Elves' individual elements makes her an essential member of the team, she has been unable to utilize magic of her own until this year, which makes her skills at leadership and conflict resolution all the more important. As for the figures of her, I love how their realistic, down-to-earth fashion choices both contrast with and complement her Elven friends.

[rodiziorobs]

6 hours ago, Velouria said:

I thought this was the weakest season. The goblin king was cool (Bowie association yay!) but the goblins were a disappointment, and I hated the sickly green used in their buildings. I did not buy any sets

 

6 hours ago, Velouria said:

One major problem I have with the whole range is that sets have the same minidolls with minor changes again and again. I'm not so tempted to buy another set that has an Naida minidoll in it when I already have 3.

I fully agree with both of these statements. I personally did not mind the extensive range of dragons, but hated that (a) we never got a black dragon, and (b) the Secret Market and Dragon Sanctuary were so limited in their availability. I have been able to pick up a second copy of most of my favorite sets for the first two waves in the secondary market for less (sometimes much less) than MSRP, but I never did pick those two up when they were on shelves, and getting them now is impossible.

I wish they had introduced more characters with other colors. I have way too many of each of the mains, and very few unique characters.

I hope the theme isn't discontinued yet, and that if it is, the most recent sets stay available for awhile longer. Cash has been tight lately and I haven't been able to get any yet; I'd hate for them to become as rare as the other sets I mentioned.

[Velouria]

12 hours ago, Lyichir said:

Can't disagree more with your labeling of Emily or Sophie as "Mary Sues". Sophie absolutely doesn't qualify by any definition,

I've looked up the definition, and you are right. I haven't actually watched the animations much- so I don't know how they are portrayed. But I find the Emily and Sophie minidolls very generic, up to their names. They are self-insertion characters, a girl who plays with them can insert herself in a mythical fantasy world and make up her own personality for them. So that is what I meant- I find them too generic, but they perform a certain function.

[Lyichir]

5 hours ago, Velouria said:

I've looked up the definition, and you are right. I haven't actually watched the animations much- so I don't know how they are portrayed. But I find the Emily and Sophie minidolls very generic, up to their names. They are self-insertion characters, a girl who plays with them can insert herself in a mythical fantasy world and make up her own personality for them. So that is what I meant- I find them too generic, but they perform a certain function.

I mean, that pretty much gets to the point of them—they're audience surrogates. In the story, that's a pretty key role, not just because it adds a degree of aspiration (kids can fantasize about themselves finding a portal to Elvendale, the same way kids might hope to get a Hogwarts letter or find a gateway to Narnia in the back of a wardrobe), but also because it allows for easy exposition (since Emily, not being native to Elvendale, has a good reason to ask questions about things the other characters are already familiar with). Beyond that, another thing I love about her is that her appearance sort of mystifies the real world (in a sort of similar way to Steven Universe). While Emily is amazed by the sights and wonders of Elvendale the Elves are just as amazed by little things about Emily that we'd consider "normal" (from her round ears to her MP3 player).

On the subject of Emily, I've recently been working on an LDD MOC of Emily's House. In addition to referencing its appearance from the webisodes I'm trying to construct it as a sort of blend of the Friends and Elves building styles (with a modular dollhouse layout but also little hints of Elvendale-inspired features). It's a tricky subject to balance, trying to work in all the details I love at a set-like scale, but it's a fun challenge that might someday result in a finished MOC.

[Velouria]

I've actually built a modern camper van for my elves. Like, they would probably like to have a vacation away from all that unspoiled nature and magic every once in a while, and do so in a nice air-conditioned camper on Emily's side of reality :D Should take some pics...

[STARHAWK]

On 8/11/2018 at 4:46 PM, Digger of Bricks said:

Unless I'm misunderstanding you, are you saying that you'd rather not see such a theme? If so, why? 

They will try to appeal to girls with a theme that is not really interesting for them at this age (i think, just exploring that with my 4.5y daughters). That superhero girls theme was horrible. They should not cancel a good theme which already has a fanbase among young and older to make room for another horrible mix like friends in space. Not to mention that there is no classic space theme.

[STARHAWK]

On 8/13/2018 at 7:54 PM, Velouria said:

Sorry for the double post- I'm obviously hoping this theme will continue, but I'm also looking back on it, and looking at its strengths and weaknesses. I loved the first season and bought every set. Loved the nature colors, the fantasy builds, the variation, and the characters. Then there was the second season, which was a dragon in every set. I bought some, loved Ragana and her castle, the starlight inn. But too many similar creatures- too many dragons; and that made me less interested.

After that, I had some personal issues, I had to sell my home, and to make it nice and presentable, I packed all my lego away and stopped buying. It was the whole goblin king and his goblins. I thought this was the weakest season. The goblin king was cool (Bowie association yay!) but the goblins were a disappointment, and I hated the sickly green used in their buildings. I did not buy any sets and got the Goblin King character off bricklink because he was in two sets that I really did not like (another dragon! And that sickly green castle).

And then in the most recent lot, it was back to the roots with the elvenstar tree and Lumia and Nocturna. Like these sets a lot, and plan to buy some more.

One major problem I have with the whole range is that sets have the same minidolls with minor changes again and again. I'm not so tempted to buy another set that has an Naida minidoll in it when I already have 3. (you can, IMHO, never have enough Azaris and Farrans though) Also- I tend not to buy sets with Emily or her sister- they are human characters (and the very essence of "Mary-Sue"), and I'm really in this because I like fantasy creatures.

That's my two cents. what do you think?

For me the dragons got me mainly into this theme and luckily for me i bought some sets before the dragons when they were discounted for 50%. Now i have almost all the older before-dragon sets.

I on the other hand have never enough dragons - therefore i created a dragon for Ragana (its posted here on EB) and also some small dragons (based on the water dragon build). Was sceptical when they introduced other animals instead of dragons, but think i will start to like them after i watch the complete TV show.

Btw goblins Kings dragon Ashwing is the best design perhaps even usable outside of the Elves theme in a castle moc. That build is perfect.

That green on buildings is not so pleasant but i got used to it.

Little goblins are great as "villains" - my daughters like them. I have 3 or 4 goblin village sets (got them for 50% off) to build the village bigger and build that stage with all the goblins celebrating.

I dnot like the bats as replacements for villains - stupid is to have a bat on a balloon (why ??).

Im also tired of the same characters over and over - therefore i would be happy to get some generic elves that appeared in the show in some episodes and also some main characters like the original 5 sisters - they should bring more characters into sets before the theme ends.

 

[Marishka]

I hope there's other reason for disappearing sets from some stores than end of the series. Btw is some on-line markets in Russia new sets appears with 30% discount straight from the start, I have no idea why, but that's nice to me :) And girls like fantasy and living creatures more than sci-fi and spaceships, so I don't think it's good idea to make retro-futuristic theme with mini dolls, and Elves are great enough.

I don't think any other theme compares with Elves for me. Harry Potter and magical creatures have not enough sparkly magic and too nuare with it's desaturated color scheme. I liked last wave of Nexo Knights, villians there reminded me UFO aliens that I desire in my childhood, but it is shortest and was closed :(

Also while seeing Elves episodes I like that this series fits some near-philosophic and psychological spheres (may be like some moments of Ninjago) while Friends mostly is about having a nice time. 

To speak about what I dream to see in next year that is cat people, cool and furry like khajiits from The Elder Scrolls or Thundercats may be, but in minidoll style :)

[zoth33]

22 minutes ago, Marishka said:

I hope there's other reason for disappearing sets from some stores than end of the series. Btw is some on-line markets in Russia new sets appears with 30% discount straight from the start, I have no idea why, but that's nice to me :) And girls like fantasy and living creatures more than sci-fi and spaceships, so I don't think it's good idea to make retro-futuristic theme with mini dolls, and Elves are great enough.

I don't think any other theme compares with Elves for me. Harry Potter and magical creatures have not enough sparkly magic and too nuare with it's desaturated color scheme. I liked last wave of Nexo Knights, villians there reminded me UFO aliens that I desire in my childhood, but it is shortest and was closed :(

Also while seeing Elves episodes I like that this series fits some near-philosophic and psychological spheres (may be like some moments of Ninjago) while Friends mostly is about having a nice time. 

To speak about what I dream to see in next year that is cat people, cool and furry like khajiits from The Elder Scrolls or Thundercats may be, but in minidoll style :)

I share some of your thoughts.  I am a 40 year old man and found the Elves line very interesting.  I'm into Fantasy Adventure things and this theme has filled some of the void left by no castle or LOTR based sets.  I have some of the Dragons and find them very usable in my MOC's.  I really liked all the colors and new parts this theme gave us.  Especially the different plant pieces.  And I found the Elves hairpieces very useful for my custom elves factions.  It will be sad to see this theme go.  I'm trying to find the Elvenstar treehouse the build looks interesting.  

[x105Black]

41 minutes ago, Marishka said:

And girls like fantasy and living creatures more than sci-fi and spaceships, so I don't think it's good idea to make retro-futuristic theme with mini dolls, and Elves are great enough.

...

I liked last wave of Nexo Knights, villians there reminded me UFO aliens that I desire in my childhood, but it is shortest and was closed :(

You seem to contradict yourself here.

Anyways, I like the idea of cat people.  I hope to see some minifigures in the future with those attributes.

[Digger of Bricks]

3 hours ago, STARHAWK said:

They should not cancel a good theme which already has a fanbase among young and older to make room for another horrible mix like friends in space. Not to mention that there is no classic space theme.

By that last part, are you saying that you'd personally rather see a traditional Space theme for boys once again rather than the introduction of one geared towards girls? 

1 hour ago, Marishka said:

And girls like fantasy and living creatures more than sci-fi and spaceships, so I don't think it's good idea to make retro-futuristic theme with mini dolls, and Elves are great enough.

Regarding Retrofuturism, I think it all depends on what sort of Retrofuturistic genre would appeal to girls, which would just be a matter of finding the right choice in historical, architectural, and technological focuses. Personally, like I've said eariler here, I really think a fantasy theme with an urban, "Nouveau-Punk" aesthetic and setting could work. 

Edited August 21, 2018 by Digger of Bricks

[x105Black]

I think the focus on retro-futurism is one of those "could be a nice flavor" type of things, but the main idea is to get a Space theme (preferably one that appeals to both genders instead of a minidoll theme).